A Day in the Life
by Cursed Detective
Summary: A series of semi-connected, non-chronological oneshots in the "No Ghosts Need Apply" 'verse. T for the possibility of violence, but what can you expect from a murder-mystery series? Updates will come with inspiration, as this is not a planned storyline.
1. Meeting for (Not) the First Time

_Fanfiction! (Disclaimer)_

 **A Day in the Life  
** _of a Duo that Works Surprisingly Well Together_

 ** _1  
Meeting for (Not) the First Time_**

"Ano, Hakuba… where are we going?" Kaito was a little nervous. Beika—was not where he expected the British detective (who insisted on accusing him of being Kid in public _and_ without proof) to bring him. Yes, they'd been paired together for a school project ( _thanks,_ Sensei) but Beika was a bit out of the way.

Not to mention the streets were looking a bit too familiar for Kaito's taste. He _knew_ this area, knew it as well as Ekoda. His favorite—and most dangerous—nighttime critic lived less than two blocks away and Hakuba was leading him in that direction.

'Kuroba Kaito' had no reason to know the area though, not like his moonlight thief persona, and he couldn't say much without Hakuba taking it as verification _again._ Which he did not want to deal with.

"Poirot Café," Hakuba replied, clearly watching for a reaction.

"… Okay," Kaito glanced sideways at him, affecting annoyed confusion. "And _why_ are we going to a café all the way out here instead of one, oh, I don't know— _closer to school?_ "

Hakuba shrugged one shoulder, "I like Poirot and I do have several acquaintances in the area. One of which I'm certain you know, who lives directly above the café."

Hakuba was trying to get Tantei-kun to catch him out as Kid. That… was a little terrifying. He could keep Hakuba from evidence, but _Tantei-kun_ was another thing entirely. Poker Face hid his edginess and he gave Hakuba a blank look, "Okay… I don't think I know anyone who lives above a café in Beika. Is this you insisting I'm Kid, again? Really, Hakuba, it's getting old."

"I believe I'll have all the verification I'll need if he sees you," Hakuba informed, looking insufferably smug.

It took a great deal of willpower to keep from dying a certain ash-blond's hair bright pink. Problem was, Hakuba could very well be right. Tantei-kun _always_ knew when it was Kid, no matter how good the disguise. It was a little creepy, actually.

 _Poker Face_ , Kaito reminded himself, keeping himself _looking_ like an irritable and slightly confused teen as opposed to one on the verge of a minor panic attack.

"And here he is, now," Hakuba smirked at Kaito before turning his head slightly, "Edogawa-kun? Is that you?"

A small form paused, turned, and blinked in obvious startlement as his gaze skipped past Hakuba to rest on Kaito.

"Do you know my classmate, Edogawa-kun?" Hakuba asked, a tint of satisfaction in his tone.

Tantei-kun blinked while Kaito _didn't_ hold his breath, adrenaline jolting through his veins. He could be caught, he _was_ caught, he could see in his eyes that Tantei-kun _knew._

"He looks just like Shinichi-nii-chan!" Tantei-kun chirped, turning his attention back towards Hakuba. "Well, except for the hair. Hi, Hakuba-nii-san. Who's your friend?"

Kaito hid his surprise as easily as he had the not-so-minor terror. Tantei-kun knew who he was, he was _sure_ of that, but he'd just flawlessly given himself a believable (and even true) out for the surprise on seeing him while covering for an international criminal. Okay, then, Kaito's turn.

He dropped to one knee to put himself on a level with his favorite critic, drawing a blue rose out in a disguising puff of smoke to present to 'Edogawa Conan'. "I'm Kuroba Kaito! What's your name?"

Tantei-kun eyed the rose—and the person holding it—with consideration as he reached out to take it, "Blue*? Thanks, and I'm Edogawa Conan, Kaito-nii-san! You're really quick with your hands!"

"Thanks," Kaito grinned back at him, seeing the amusement behind Tantei-kun's glasses, "We're going to Poirot for lunch. Want to come?"

"I live upstairs from there," 'Conan' informed cheerily, "I'll have to let Ran-nee-chan know, but she'll probably say it's okay."

Kaito changed his mind about this outing as he saw a certain Brit scowl off to the side. It was _Hakuba_ who would rue the day Kuroba Kaito met Edogawa Conan.

This was going to be _awesome._

 _xxxx_

 _*Blue roses have a few basic meanings that branch into more from there. Base meanings are 'unique', 'impossible', or 'not meant to be' . A more common use for the first is 'uniquely interesting and beautiful'. As for the second, it can be anything from chasing or attempting the impossible to having attained what was thought impossible. The third isn't really ambiguous, but Kaito(u), Kid or otherwise, would see it as a challenge instead of a fact, anyway._


	2. Practicality

.

 ** _A Day in the Life  
_** _of a Miniaturized Detective and his (un)Official Backup_

 ** _Practicality_**

It wasn't a heist, but Kaito was Kid anyway.

Honestly, Conan wasn't surprised. Kaito was always flamboyant when he could get away with it, and while Kid was a known entity that was equally _unknown_ , Kuroba Kaito was an identity that could be tracked down. Since Conan _had_ called in the magician as backup, it was only to be expected that he show up dressed for work.

Conan wouldn't have felt the need to call in the first place, except this was probably the most ridiculously complicated kidnapping case he'd ever been caught up in, with some over-rich lunatic—no, wait, the moon-crazy one was Kaitou Kid, amending former description to 'psychotic, power-mad, jealous bastard'—with _waaaay_ too much time on his hands having clearly been setting this up for months, if not longer.

It wasn't like the guy needed or even _wanted_ the ransom. The president of a large, high-tech, and well-renowned security company had no need for a ransom that came out to less than what he made on bank account interest in one day. No, it hadn't taken long for Conan to track down the real reason said president had orchestrated the kidnapping.

 _Revenge._ And what else would it be? He had no intention of letting the child of what amounted to a school-yard rival go, ransom or no ransom. The kid's life could be forfeit, though it was also possible that the man was going to sell the kid as a novelty to some brothel in China, which would be significantly harder on the little girl.

Conan had tracked down the girl's location, but considering who owned the 'safe-house' in question…

He didn't want to take chances. Not with a child involved. So, the one who had both the equipment and the experience to waltz through just about any security with minimal prep-time that Conan had a phone number for—was pretty much just Kid, really.

He didn't know what kind of security he was looking at, exactly. There were lasers—he could see the tiny round lenses and mirrors scattered about—but that was the thing. He didn't know what the lasers were _for._ The tiny pinprick-red* lights he could see on those lenses was enough to let him know they probably weren't very powerful, which meant triggers—but for what, he didn't know.

Kid was the one most likely to have an answer for him on that front, so he turned and raised an eyebrow at his impromptu assistant.

Kid was visually casing the place, eyes scoping out tell-tales that Conan (and considering the high probability of surveillance and recording equipment, he couldn't let his masks slip) wouldn't be able to identify the meaning of without closer examination, for all that he'd seen the tells themselves.

He wasn't a phantom thief, after all; his experience with espionage was more with, well, _actual_ espionage. High-end professional security systems were supposed to be discreet, but not invisible. While Conan could see things set in the walls and ceiling aside from the laser projectors, he didn't have the experience to tell what they were with no more than a casual glance from ten meters away.

Kid probably did.

So, what Conan needed was to know whether or not the system's measures were directly dangerous and whether they extended into the room beyond, where one little girl was visible through a one-sided mirror. They could see her, but she wouldn't be able to see them.

At this point, that was a good thing.

"Well," Kid clapped gloved hands together, "Some of the, ah, usual containment measures look to have been… _modified_ somewhat. I've worked around this type of system before."

Conan snorted at the wording— _around_ , indeed.

" _Anyway,_ " Kid waved off the minor interruption, "It hasn't been modified _that_ much. My guess is that the usual cage/knockout gas combo has been replaced with something a bit less harmless than knockout gas, and the 'cage' setup looks to have been weaponized."

"What about the room with the hostage?"

"Mm," Kid glanced at several points around the room, eyes skimming intervening structures efficiently, "That's probably safe. While it is possible to change the system enough to cover an additional room, this one looks to have put in as a standard, and modifying it like that would have left some tells. Not to mention that there are two access pads, which means that whoever sets it could be _in_ that room when it goes off."

"I just wanted to be sure," Conan nodded once. The pad was a number pad, not a fingerprint one, which implied that the man in charge wanted something he could change easily and had people he didn't necessarily trust under normal circumstances having access to the girl for the time being. Number pads weren't too hard to crack, as a general rule, and there was a distinct button on the second one across the room that looked like an auto-deactivate, except that button _was_ cased with a clear fingerprint scanner on the case in question.

A soft hissing sound had Conan blinking and glancing up at Kid… who was holding a small, egg-shaped contraption that spat faintly pink smoke into the air.

As the thin smoke spread out into the monitored area, crisscrossed lasers came into view.

Conan quirked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. _Everything_ was a show with Kid involved. Still, the shorter male moved over towards the number pad and leaned against the support post it was attached to, waiting to see what Kid was planning.

Less than three seconds later, Kid's cape disappeared with a double-click of sound and the thief started a series of (admittedly impressive) gymnastics that had him flipping around, under, over, and _between_ barely-visible streams of light.

Conan refused to show any of the awe he felt as Kid proved that he was more than capable of taking on the Olympic gymnastics competition and winning with no prior routine practice. Keeping an unimpressed expression was made easier when he focused on one little detail that the thief had either forgotten or ignored.

Kid landed perfectly on the other side of the heavily monitored zone and Conan reached up to tap the keys above his shoulder, having a fairly solid guess as to what the combination was based on the wear-pattern across painted numbers.

The laser sensors shut down and the tiny screen flashed a 'system deactivated'.

Conan walked across the open floor, quirking a sardonic eyebrow at Kid, who was pouting exaggeratedly in his direction.

"You're no fun at _all,_ Tantei-kun," he complained.

Conan evaluated the tone and expression, "… You forgot about the keypad."

The pout grew.

 _xxxx_

It hadn't been as easy getting out as in; while they hadn't set of the automated security system, the cameras had caught their presence and they had to get a bit creative on exits.

That was easier with the fact that the girl was no older than Conan claimed to be, and thus was small enough for Kid to pick up and carry. Still, unconventional leaving methods aside, the rescue was a complete success and the girl was returned to her family while the culprit and his hired help were duly incarcerated.

Conan ended up grounded for two weeks for 'putting himself at risk' and Megure-keibu had ended up massaging his temples on hearing that Kaito Kid had one of the Shonen Tantei's badges with a disabled tracker, but it all worked out in the end.

 _xxxx_

 _*Red lasers, despite being the most iconic, are usually the least powerful. The high-powered cutting lasers are usually kind of bluish._

 _On a side note: No, Kaito does not have a Tantei-badge, with or without a tracker. It was a cover for how he'd gotten there, as Conan admitting he had Kaitou Kid's cell phone number would have been a spectacularly bad idea._

 _xxxx_


	3. Home

_Grandmother passed this morning, and I felt like I needed something heartwarming. Technically, she was my great-grandmother, and I didn't know her well, only having seen her every four years even when I was growing up, but I remember her as warm and kind._

 _xxxx_

 ** _A Day in the Life_** _  
_ _of Those Who Would be Family_

 **3**

 ** _Home_**

"Hey, you ready?"

Shinichi glanced up, giving a tired smile. He was dressed in his—Conan's—own clothes for the first time in weeks and going somewhere that wasn't a place where he had to act. Even at Agasa's, there was an element of pretending, because—though she would never admit it—Haibara _worried._ If he let her see how worried he was, too…

Well. She'd lived in fear for long enough that he didn't want to add to it.

This was nothing less than a _godsend._ That four months of worry and grief and reluctant happiness would turn to having a place to go that wouldn't be an empty house or somewhere where he had to be something, some _one_ he wasn't…

He was grateful. One last glance around the sterile room he'd been confined to for weeks, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, and he looked back up at a magician that was currently not clad in white _or_ sporting a prankster grin. "Aa. I'm ready."

Kaito smiled back, holding out a hand.

It was all about image, Shinichi knew, and what better image than a big brother taking his little brother by the hand to lead him home?

… It was even almost true.

Shinichi reached up, and Conan took Kaito's hand.

Kaito's expression softened into something quieter, more serious. "It's only for a little while."

"I know," Conan replied, masks firmly layered back into place. For the first time in well over a year, it _was_ only for a little while.

 _xxxx_

The house wasn't the giant grandiose type that the Kudo mansion managed to be, not all looming dark walls and stone, but a simple western-style two-story with whitewashed walls and a small, neatly kept yard.

Kaito unlocked the door, pushing it open and kicking his shoes tidily off to the side, managing to get them lined up and facing the door without actually using his hands. He held the door open for a small form that was already letting masks slide away, "Welcome home."

Shinichi let the door close behind him, taking off his own shoes and setting them aside, still too small but no longer hiding. He looked up at Kaito, relief and wonder and gratitude shining in his eyes, and he responded to the out-of-order statement with what would usually precede. "I'm home."

 _xxxx_

 _This one is based on the epilogue of No Ghosts Need Apply, expanding on a mentioned scene. Short and hopefully sweet._


	4. Status Quo

_Not much to this one, just a fun little 'first day' thing._

 ** _A Day in the Life  
_** _Of a Very Odd High School Guest_

 ** _Status Quo_**

Because Shinichi didn't actually want to be left home alone and, frankly, couldn't think of how he'd manage to keep Kaito from sounding like the worst guardian _ever_ if he was, he'd informed the sometimes-thief that he'd tag along until they worked something out.

Kaito shrugged, handed him his backpack and a couple onigiri, and led him out the door.

Which, of course, led to Edogawa Conan being introduced to the class as a whole as Kaito's ward (most automatically shying back a little on seeing just how much like Kaito he looked and terrified of the implications of a mini-Kaito adding to the mayhem in an already-chaotic classroom) and being given the desk behind Kaito.

The teacher, one wary eye on a certain Kuroba, explained the situation as she'd had it explained to her. "Edogawa-kun is to be homeschooled, but as Kuroba-kun is his guardian and there would be no one there to watch him, he'll be staying in our classroom for the time being."

Which was, Conan thought, accurate enough. At least it would be more interesting than first grade.

Then he got an idea. Hakuba hadn't done more than blink in surprise on his introduction and subsequent seat-placement, but he could see one eye as the British detective turned his head enough to glance at him. Hakuba had already seen him 'in action' as it were, so he knew how much of a normal child Conan _wasn't._

What Hakuba _didn't_ know was the running rivalry that Conan had with Kaitou Kid extended to Kuroba Kaito's pranks as well, and Conan couldn't help the smirk creeping across his face.

Hakuba's flinch only made it widen, because Conan was _behind_ Kaito and that gave him a _perfect_ angle for pre-empting and redirection before Kaito would know what was happening. The fact that Kaito was already tapping a pen impatiently really just meant he wasn't going to have to wait long before the magician—who had been forced into a four and a half month abstinence from pranking and had only had a week to make up the difference—would do something.

Kaito's pen flicked twice and Conan _moved,_ as quick and silent as Kid had ever been, using Kaito's own focus on a certain blond as his proverbial smokescreen.

When the actual smoke erupted, it was _Kaito_ caught in the cloud.

By the time it cleared, Conan was back in his seat, pencil studiously scritching on paper, and Kaito was the one with purple hair.

For several seconds, the entire classroom was stunned speechless, then Kaito huffed and turned to the 'little boy' sitting behind him. "Conan!"

He got an innocent blink in return, "But Kai-nii, he's a detective! I have to support my fellows, right? You're always saying that!"

Hakuba made a muffled choking sound.

Kaito's jaw worked silently for several seconds, then he flopped back into his seat with a despairing groan, "I think I've created a monster."

Conan grinned. _Definitely_ more fun than first grade.

 _xxxx_


	5. Tensai

_Another classroom snippet, when the two get a little too caught up in the conversation._

 ** _A Day in the Life  
_** _Of a Very Odd High School Guest_

 ** _Tensai_**

Conan had finished his 'kiddie work' for the entire semester in under three days and then promptly started paying far more attention to class B-2's teachers than his apparent age warranted.

He was actually fully caught up to where _he_ should have been, and the fact that Kaito was a year ahead of him made the lessons marginally more interesting. The fact that the lessons were more challenging than first grade was, of course, a welcome relief.

Perspective made such a difference, sometimes.

Still, Kaito wasn't paying nearly as much attention and his English accent was… oddly terrible, actually. The only thing he could say without garbling to what would be nearly unrecognizable to a native English speaker was 'Ladies and Gentlemen, it's Showtime!"

That wasn't a phrase the class was taught directly, which was probably a good thing. They'd only just thrown Hakuba off Kid's proverbial scent; they did _not_ need to bandy that about in his face to bring all his suspicions crashing back.

Still. Shinichi definitely had a distinct Japanese accent to his English—one that grew more pronounced when he'd been speaking primarily Japanese for a while and faded almost to nonexistence when he spent time in America—but his was _leagues_ better than Kaito's.

"Kai-nii," he complained, seeing an annoyingly inaccurate translation in the magician's workbook from between said magician's arm and side. "No. Just... _no._ " He hopped down from his own desk and dragged his chair over next to Kaito's while Aoko, Hakuba, and the rest of the class watched in confused interest. "I am _not_ living with someone who can't even keep **'they're'** and **'there'** straight on paper. If you're going to learn English, you're going to learn it _right._ "

Kaito blinked, half-baffled and half-amused. "But they _sound_ the same!"

"So does **'their'** ," Conan informed. "You're going to learn them all. And we're working on your accent; I can barely understand what you're trying to say—the _only_ reason I can is because Japanese was my first language. If I'd learned English first, I'd never figure out what you were saying!"

"Hai, Conan-sensei!" Kaito tossed off a mock salute.

Conan gave him a deadpan look, "Wrong hand."

"Edogawa-kun?" Hakuba asked curiously. "You speak English?"

"Mm," Conan confirmed absently, "Spent a lot of time in Hawaii and New York with my parents. Hawaii was almost a break, except that Tou-san tried to teach me how to operate pretty much any machine he could get his hands on. Kaa-san thought it was great, but I was _definitely_ under the legal teaching age…"

"Is that how you knew how to fly that helicopter?" Kaito asked curiously. "I heard about you flying one when someone tried to kill everyone on it by swapping out the pilot's eye-drops for those dilation things optometrists use…"

Conan sighed, "That's… not entirely accurate. It was the long-term version, mydriatic drops, but… yeah, I was the only one who had any idea what to do in a cockpit besides the light-blinded pilot, so…"

"You flew a _helicopter?_ " Hakuba demanded, "You're _seven!"_

"You think someone _my_ size can fly a helicopter? All I managed to do was keep it relatively steady for an emergency landing that ended as a crash because we got caught in a major downdraft. Then the helicopter _exploded._ "

Kaito shuddered, grimacing, and the rest of the class was entranced by the sudden slew of information on their tiny guest. Conan patted the magician's arm in a placating gesture, "I was fine, Kai-nii."

"You are involved in far too many explosions for my taste," Kaito grumbled.

"Only explosions?" Conan grimaced, caught up in the moment.

"No," Kaito decided, having broken into Division One to go through all their records with Conan's name on file. "That time you got shot and the more recent hospital visit aside; you've been damn lucky to have gotten away with only minor injuries with all the crashes, explosions, shootings, stabbings, fires, kidnappings, international incidents, _serial killings,_ and everything _else_ you get caught up in. I'm going to end up _encouraging_ your reckless little self to go to Kid heists, because those seem to be the only places where you're not getting targeted by murderers or having random dead people fall from the sky. After everything I've managed to pry out of you and the horror stories I heard about when you and Hattori get together, I _completely_ understand why every Division One across Japan is convinced you're being stalked by a Shinigami."

Conan fidgeted. "I'd say I'm not, but Yamamura-keibu keeps telling me to find a miko… Also, did you have to bring that up in the middle of your classroom?"

Kaito grinned at him, though something around his eyes hinted at apology. "You're a regular _tensai,_ my mini walking encyclopedia!"

Conan glowered, catching the pun.

"What?"

" _You_ don't get to call me a disaster, you maniac."

 _xxxx_

 _*Tensai: 1 n. genius, protégé. 2 n. natural disaster (as in act of divinity/nature or plague)._

 _xxxx_


	6. Foiled Plans

.

 ** _A Day in the Life  
_** _of a Miniaturized Detective and his (semi)Official Backup_

 ** _Foiled Plans_**

Shinichi glanced out around the edge of the stack of crates at the group that had come into the Kuroba villa. They all had guns, three men and two women, and they had apparently just pulled off a successful bank robbery, judging by the argument.

They hadn't noticed him or Kaito, which was good, because the argument involved whether or not it had been necessary to kill a sixth member of their little troupe for shooting several people during the robbery.

So. Of course they would show up at the villa, a mountainside estate that hadn't been used since Kuroba Toichi had been murdered. Kaito had only been up there once since taking up Kid's mantle, and he'd informed the too-small Shinichi it had only been to check for anything Kid-related.

Since Kaito hadn't found anything, Shinichi was fairly sure that there was nothing to find, but he'd agreed with Kaito that it seemed like a good place for a break from bodies.

If more of Kaito's luck was in effect than Shinichi's now that the group was actually inside Kuroba territory in a _literal_ sense, they might even still get out without any deaths in the immediate vicinity.

He didn't sigh, but it was a close thing.

Kaito tapped his shoulder, drawing his attention long enough to mouth a silent message, trusting Shinichi's lip-reading skills to get it.

'I messaged Nakamori-keibu to get the local precinct out here. It'll probably be at least two hours. Shall we?'

Shinichi nodded, slipping back into the shadows under Kaito's guidance. The sometimes-thief was far better than he was at hiding, so for now, Kaito would take the lead.

Sooner or later, someone in that group would realize there were people in the villa, and then things were liable to get messy. For now, though, hiding was a very good option.

 _xxxx_

"Oi—Boss!" the call was easily loud enough for the two who were _weren't_ trespassing to hear from the rafters—and of _course_ the house would be full of kaitou-style hiding places, having been built by one—and someone else shouted back from what sounded like the back hall.

"There's people here! A kid's backpack and a couple suitcases!"

Huh. So, someone _was_ paying attention. Sort of. They hadn't even checked the shoe-cupboard in the entryway.

Shinichi shook his head and Kaito prodded him with a grin, mouthing 'amateurs' at him cheerfully.

"No one's upstairs right now," one of the women called from the upstairs hall. "We've checked all the rooms on the second level!"

A few minutes later, two more check-ins determined the house empty of whoever was staying there.

Ah, if only they knew.

"The must be out somewhere," the robber-gang gathered in the living room, almost directly beneath the bolt-hole that Shinichi (in all his one-meter glory) and Kaito were holed up in. "There wasn't a car when we pulled in."

True, actually. There was a garage, but Kaito had asked Jii to drop them off and his assistant had been happy to do so, informing Kaito that it was well past time that he take a break. In case of emergency, there was a clock tower rising from the left side of the building, a maintenance ladder running up the back of it and a small platform for a worker to use with several harness attachment points to prevent deadly falls. The tower wasn't _quite_ disproportionately tall, but it was more than enough to get Kid's glider the altitude to get him off the mountain and had likely been designed with exactly that in mind.

He had brought the dark grey recon one, not the white 'look at the target' one, so it wouldn't be obvious that Kaitou Kid was in the area, and Shinichi-as-Conan was easily small enough to play passenger.

"So, probably off to the town for something," the apparent leader mused. "Better keep an ear out for a car. Whoever it is, we don't want them reporting us."

 _Too late for that,_ Shinichi thought wryly. All they really had to do was wait it out.

 _xxxx_

The 'waiting it out' worked up until the police arrived—the Izu police had a significantly smaller force than either Tokyo or Osaka, and that meant Yokomizo Sango and his available subordinates… which in turn meant only three squad cars and a total of six officers (including the inspector, probably)—not much of a number advantage, and all five of the robbers had guns.

Real ones, because neither Shinichi nor Kaito would have been fooled by fakes when left with time to look, even from the distance they'd been at.

And it quickly became obvious that the five were not afraid to _use_ those guns, as house windows were shattered and gunfire—damn it, that long bag _had_ held an automatic rifle (older American military, M16 by the look)—pinning the police behind their cruisers.

Shouts and a lack of return gunfire had Shinichi grimacing. He nudged Kaito's side and murmured "They know we're in here," he reminded.

Kaito nodded, glanced down, and hesitated for a long moment.

Shinichi gave a mostly silent sigh, "Damn it, I'm _hungry_ and I am _not_ dealing with bodies today."

"Oh?" Kaito murmured thoughtfully, "I've got a _plan~!_ "

Shinichi grinned as Kaito explained himself and led the drop with a high-speed soccer ball to the back of the M16-weilder's shoulders. The man was flung forward into the windowsill he'd been crouching behind and slumped down, hands sliding from the weapon as he toppled to the floor in a semi-conscious daze.

He and Kaito landed soundlessly amongst alarmed shouts from the other four, their drop softened by stage-wire, and Kaito grinned as the first of the intruders saw them.

A gun started to come up-

-and a second soccer ball sent the weapon out the window as the woman who'd been holding it cursed and clutched her hand to her chest.

The remaining three managed to get guns mostly trained on them, but a broad, evil grin and a snap accompanied a puff of smoke and disappearing handguns.

More cursing, and Kaito closed to close range, still grinning, "So, Conan~" he half-sang at said miniaturized detective, "What do you think we should do after this?"

Conan slid past the tallest of the men, kicking out at an ankle with his shoe active and leaving the man crumpling to the floor with either a bad fracture or an outright break. "Dinner!" he called back as the door broke open to admit police—who then froze as they saw five criminals in varying states of being thoroughly trounced by a teen and a grade-schooler.

"Oh? Well… there's a little barbeque place in town," Kaito offered as a puff of smoke covered his current opponent, only to reveal what looked like an oversized upright tubeworm made of blue duct-tape that just happened to have a human head on top.

"Not happening," Conan informed, "The last time we went to barbeque, it took me _days_ to get the stains out of my coat, you lunatic."

"Come on, Conan, it was just a food-fight!"

"That _you_ started with the other tables. I think they banned us for life!"

"Well… there's that French place…?"

"No," Conan stated, taking out the shorter woman with another well-placed (but less powerful) kick, knocking her knees out from under her and managing to somehow get her hands behind her back and cuff her despite being somewhere around a fourth her size.

"What? Why not? I thought you _liked_ French!"

"I do," Conan acknowledged, ducking as a knife slashed erratically in his direction.

Kaito made an angry sound and the taller woman—her dominant hand obviously bruised beyond use from the earlier soccer ball—was suddenly slammed against the wall with broad bands of layered tape and covered in neon green slime.

Conan nodded thanks for the aid and continued, "but there hasn't been a single time that I have had a French meal that hasn't had at least one person drop dead in the immediate vicinity. I already told you, I am _not_ dealing with any dead bodies today!"

Kaito paused momentarily and Conan kicked a third soccer ball over his shoulder to take the semi-recovered M16-weilder out before he could figure out how to hold his gun again.

Kaito returned Conan's earlier nod and turned part of his attention on the last robber standing, who was looking somewhere between dumbfounded and outraged. "You-you- _I'll kill you!_ "

Kaito initially ignored this declaration, "Well… the only other restaurant in the town is that one at the inn, and _I'm_ not going there," he paused to step sideways and reach out to grab an arm and twist, "Also, Conan said no dead bodies. Sorry, you're not allowed to kill me."

"Oh? Why not?" Conan asked, casually snapping a second pair of cuffs on the raging man that Kaito had face-down against the carpet.

"… _Sushi._ "

"Ah, right. Why don't we just make teriyaki here or something?"

Kaito blinked, "Not a bad idea," he decided, glancing up at the police standing in the doorway gaping at them, "Ah, hello, keiji-san, Keibu-san."

Conan blinked at the previously ignored group (he'd noticed them, but there had been other things to worry about, as he knew Kaito had agreed), "Ah, Yokomizo-keibu! Hi!"

There was a long, heavy pause. "Well," Yokomizu said finally, "At least you're not standing within ten meters of a body this time."

 _xxxx_


	7. A Witch's Interlude

_So, short and explanatory._

 ** _A Witch's Interlude_**

Finally, _finally_ Akako had a reasonable explanation for Kuroba breaking her spell. She'd known he'd been hospitalized, unspeaking, for a fair amount of time after the spell had broken, but she _hadn't_ known that the terrifying little boy with the same aura as the one who'd hunted Kaitou KID at the Ekoda Clock tower had been hospitalized as well, most specifically for a _stab wound._

It was the boy who had broken that spell, however inadvertently. She knew he didn't even notice her illusionary spells, him having not even batted an eye when she adjusted her standard allure for a 'child worshiper' sort of thing in his direction—and that particular aura of relentless 'will have truth' actually weakened her spell on others _near_ him. His blood would shatter any such spell easily.

The spell she had placed on Kuroba was far stronger and more intricate, but the base of it _had_ been a falsehood. Kuroba was as real and solid and alive as any other in the room at that instant, and shifting him halfway into the spirit realm may have silenced him and hidden his form, but it hadn't killed him and so it had been a lie. A _tangible_ lie, that looked so much like truth that even the little boy's presence must have taken time to weaken it, end even then only weaken it enough for one with his terrifying kind of eyes to see through, but already weakened?

His aura, Kuroba's natural resistance, _and_ his blood?

No _wonder_ Kuroba was back.

(The fact that the _child_ had broken that spell and lived to tell about it only made her more cautious. Kuroba was going to have to be off limits as long as that boy was around.)

 _xxxx_

 _This was always my reasoning. I hinted here and there in many places—as well as explained in the Akako-part of the epilogue of 'No Ghosts' where I got the idea for the spell itself—but somehow it never occurs to me that not everyone is my kind of myth/legend/folklore junkie. A lot of those hints probably wouldn't even register to someone who's not._

 _*sheepish face*_

 _Sorry for the obscurity._


	8. Rescheduling

_Note: This one is set prior to 'No Ghosts Need Apply'._

 _(KK this one's all your fault.)_

 ** _A Day in the Life  
_** _Of a Tired Little Tantei_

 ** _Rescheduling_**

Edogawa Conan had honestly had a bit of a rough week. He'd caught _another_ cold (if there was one thing he was _definitely_ laying at the Apotoxin's proverbial feet, it was his weakened immune system), had to escape a mentally unstable kidnapper who'd literally grabbed him out of a group of shoppers by his watch-hand and hoisted him off the ground to use as a hostage (effective, he had to admit. Even more so than usual, since all the police knew him and were even more concerned for his safety than they would be for another child's).

While he'd seriously considered darting the man and tying him up before simply calling the police at first, as soon as they were in said man's hideout (unfinished apartments, probably ran out of building funds, untouched for at least two years), he'd noticed narcotics. Which made the use of the dart iffy—combining chemicals was generally a bad idea overall, but the _type_ of chemicals meant the guy was probably as resistant as Gin had been. Clearly mentally unstable and violent (he'd killed more than one person, from the reports. Not all of them had been adults, and while none of them looked either pre-planned or completely intentional, that actually made this situation that much more dangerous. _That_ kind of unstable was _unpredictable_ ), Conan did _not_ want to have the man's attention on him when he'd made his escape.

Then _Nakamori_ had shown up less than a day later, in Kogoro's office, ranting about the newest heist-jewel owner demanding that the 'Kid Killer' be brought on scene.

Ordinarily, any chance to spar with Kaitou KID was welcome. Now? His lungs still protested when he tried to run, he had a headache half the size of Tokyo, he was reasonably sure his fever was coming back, and he'd just spent the better part of the last day in a drafty building with a crazy man with a knife and several explosives. The kind that couldn't even be _disarmed,_ as it were; because they were home made, shoddy, and very unstable—one good knock from going off.

Basically? He was _too tired to deal with this crap._

And Ran wasn't home to protest, as she had a school event she'd helped plan this evening. (Sonoko had been _pissed_ when the heist landed at a conflicting time and Conan had gone to snicker quietly out of her hearing range.)

 _Kogoro_ wasn't going to protest, of course, the man was on another of his drinking sprees and thought of Conan as an annoying freeloader—or tried to, anyway. He was softening, a bit, towards the apparent eight-year-old, but he still played it like he didn't care in the presence of others. Why, Conan didn't know.

When Kogoro only told Conan to grab his coat and waved at Nakamori to take him, he was hauled off to the police car out front and thoroughly lectured about not getting in the way the whole drive to the heist.

Yeah. No. Just… _no._ He was _not_ dealing with this.

Conan stalked into the heist building with only the barest waver to his steps, the headache worsening and his vision starting to get a bit blurry. He was _exhausted,_ and that was proof that the fever really _was_ making a return.

Oh, hey. Officer Kid. That was—promising. Even if Nakamori was watching Conan with hawk-like intensity.

Conan made his way over to the infiltrator and tugged his pant leg to draw his attention away from the heist gem's owner.

Kid blinked behind his (literal and probably silicone) mask, glancing down even as the woman made an adoring sound but kept otherwise quiet, apparently wanting to watch the 'Kid Killer' work. Good, that meant she would probably stay out of the way.

"Edogawa-kun? Did you want something?"

"Yes, please," Conan smiled, tired and edged with annoyance. "I've so far had to escape one crazy kidnapper this week, my head hurts, and I'm pretty sure I've got a fever again. Can we not do this tonight? I will bring chocolate to your next heist and skip the soccer balls. I will wear one of Sonoko's gift-shirts if you also take me home, Kid. Hell, at this point, I'm not sure I would protest a _hospital._ "

Kid frowned, crouching as one glove disappeared so he could press a hand to Conan's forehead. The frown deepened and he nodded once, "Hospital. If you're here, Ran-san isn't at home to protest, and Ojisan is a bit of an idiot about these things. Up you get, Tantei-kun."

He was swept up into suddenly white-clad arms amidst a swirl of smoke, Kid's voice equally suddenly seeming to echo from everywhere. "Shame on you, Keibu-san, bringing a sick child to a heist. I'm cancelling for tonight and taking Tantei-kun to Beika General. Feel free to send his guardians there for him. Madame, I'll be sure to reschedule with you," he tipped his hat towards the hostess before dodging out of the room in another puff of smoke.

Conan closed his eyes to avoid the added dizziness of watching the walls go by at strange angles and high speed, and it wasn't long before he felt the chill of night air. "Gliding?" he asked.

He could _hear_ Kid's concern, "Fastest way I've got, Tantei-kun. Did Nakamori-keibu really just go snatch you from your home and drag you to my no-longer-heist?"

Conan groaned around the ringing in his ears, " _Yes,_ and the old man was too drunk to care. My head _really_ hurts. Do you mind if I pass out now?"

"What?"

Conan didn't bother to try and listen to the rest of that, letting his mind shut down.

He woke up hours later on an IV with a bunch of white-and-blue roses in a vase on the stand near his bed, a card bearing a Kid-doodle with a sad face and a 'Get well soon, Tantei-kun. Heists are no fun without you.' in elegant script.

He huffed a laugh when he spotted a tiny transmitter on one of the thornless stems, positioned so he'd be able to tell it was there easily. "Thanks, Kid," he offered to the transmitter, fairly sure it was a microphone. "I'll be fine. I just haven't been able to sleep off the cold, because no one is _letting_ me sleep. They'll have to, here." He yawned, curling back into the pillow. Normally, Shinichi hated hospitals, or at least being hospitalized. Right now, he was just going to be grateful for the peace and quiet.

(The rescheduled heist had Conan slipping Kid's newest disguise two chocolate bars and a thank-you note while wearing a 'Go KID!' t-shirt provided by a gleeful Sonoko. There were no soccer balls, but Conan made up for that with pre-laying some traps of his own along Kid's two most likely escape routes. They both left grinning and Kid's suit was somewhat more colorful than usual when he got home, leaving Kuroba Kaito laughing at his favorite critic's ingenuity.

Who knew Kudo Shinichi—or Edogawa Conan—could be such a prankster?)

 _xxxx_


	9. Caregiver

_Stop prompting me! I end up_ writing _when I should be resting! Meanies. (No, I'm not actually annoyed.)_

 ** _A Day in the Life  
_** _Of a Very Odd High School Guest_

 ** _Caregiver_**

Conan rubbed his forehead, frowning slightly. Normally he was actually relatively happy to be in school with Kaito, even if he had to pretend to do his kiddie work while listening to the actual teachers and occasionally running damage control on Kaito's more crazy stunts. It was so much more interesting than actual kiddie school that he was grateful, even though he'd found high school boring at his proper size. It was all about perspective—and it did help that Kaito was a year older than him, and thus a year further ahead in school.

Today, though, he was unaccountably tired and his head was starting to hurt. He didn't _want_ to be getting sick again, but that's what the signs were pointing towards. Kaito would be annoyed if he tried to hide it, but he didn't _want_ to go home. Home was boring, and he didn't feel bad enough to sleep, just yet.

But Kaito worried. More for him than he probably would for a real child, and—well, Kaito knew what had happened and some of the repercussions, so that was actually kind of understandable. Shinichi would worry if their positions were reversed, _did_ worry when Haibara got sick, though her immune system was better than his own.

Conan sighed quietly, not really wanting to draw attention in class, but he was feeling worse faster than normal, and _maybe_ things were getting a little blurry around the edges.

He sensed more than saw Kaito twist around to look at him as he ducked his head and closed his eyes, grimacing at a spike of pain behind his eyes.

"Conan?" Kaito asked, cautious, and Conan was distantly aware of the class discussion stopping abruptly.

He ignored the sudden silence but for a brief thought of thanks for the relief, grunting acknowledgement of Kaito's questioning tone.

"Migraine?" he asked softly.

Conan gave a sound of agreement.

"And we don't have meds for you—we need to look into that. Hey—no, don't do that," Kaito was there, keeping him from curling forward to rest against the desk. "It'll make it worse if your neck cramps. Come on; we're leaving. Do you want to just go home, or should I take you to a doctor?"

"Home. Not as bad as usual," Conan replied, voice carefully even. "Just hit faster."

He could _feel_ the frown, "Right. Okay. I'll call your doctor anyway, see what she thinks, but for now let's just get you home."

Conan didn't respond, not really wanting to further aggravate his head. It _had_ hit faster than usual, out of the proverbial left field, which could indicate something wrong. Calling Haibara wasn't a bad idea.

Soft cloth settled over his eyes and the light leaking through his eyelids disappeared. Conan gave a soft hum of thanks as he heard Kaito tell his teacher he was leaving. The teacher only gave a vaguely stunned-sounding agreement before they were moving, a door clicking softly shut somewhere behind Kaito.

As much as it sucked to be tiny and weak, it was… _nice,_ to have someone who took care of him like this. It felt different than when Ran did—Kaito worried and sometimes hovered, but he didn't _fuss._ He helped without getting to the point of being annoying—Ran had fussed fairly often when he was sick and just wanted to be let alone.

And, okay, Kaito didn't leave him 'alone', per say, but he planted himself quietly in a corner and let Shinichi sleep uninterrupted unless there was something obviously going wrong enough to require intervention. It was… _comforting,_ even, to know someone like Kaito was watching over him.

Kaito was safety and home and family. He hadn't had that in… a very long time. (He never thought he'd be grateful for having Kaito show up as a ghost, but the way things had turned out made him grateful for it all the same.)

 _xxxx_

The teacher wasn't the only one left blinking at the classroom door when Kaito took his young charge out of the room after carefully covering his eyes with a dark blue silk scarf. The soft sound of relief hadn't been missed in the dead silence that had emerged in the wake of hearing Kaito being _quiet_ , and Aoko finally made a sound of intrigue. "I've never seek Kaito act so…"

"Responsible?" Keiko asked.

Aoko shook her head, "Well, yes, but… I don't know. _Caring,_ maybe?"

"Paternal?" Hakuba offered.

She nodded, "Something like that. I was a little worried when we heard that Kaito had been named Conan-kun's guardian, but… well, it seems to be going okay, and that was…"

Hakuba nodded, "Kuroba obviously cares about Conan-kun, and he's surprisingly good at finding a balance between treating the boy like the extremely intelligent mind he is, and taking care of him as children need to be cared for. Still, I am relieved it _is_ working out as well as it has been, and that was enlightening. Although I admit to being sorry that Conan-kun had to suffer for us to see it."

Aoko frowned, "I didn't know Conan-kun gets migraines."

"Neither did I," Hakuba glanced at the door, visibly concerned, "He's young to have to deal with those. I hope he's all right."

"Looks like Kuroba-kun's doing just fine taking care of him," Keiko waved dismissively. "He'll be fine with a caregiver like that!"

 _xxxx_


	10. Untold

_Not entirely sure I like this one, but_ someone _prompted me, and then I wrote it, and I don't want to scrap it, so it's getting posted. (Prompting! Why do you people keep giving me_ ideas!? _)_

 ** _A Day in the Life_** _  
Of a Somewhat Reluctant Mini-Detective_

 ** _Untold_**

Shinichi wouldn't be the first to admit he had a tendency to forget to tell people things, but he wouldn't deny it, either. He _did,_ in fact, tend to forget to inform people of things that they would probably construe as relevant in his life if he didn't see them on a regular basis. Sometimes even if he _did_ see them on a regular basis.

In the 'see them on a regular basis' case, it was more because he forgot that most people didn't have his ability to Holmes-style deduce someone's day and/or general life with a few seconds' glance.

In this case, it was because things had been more than a little hectic, and the three months he'd spent with Kaito (literally) haunting him, he hadn't _wanted_ to tell Hattori. The couple calls he'd gotten from the western detective, he had simply avoided mentioning Kaito at all. If Ran had told Kazuha about Conan's 'brother', then Kazuha either hadn't told Hattori or Hattori had laughed it off and forgotten about it.

It had barely been three days since he'd gotten out of the hospital, and he'd been somewhat surprised that Hattori hadn't visited while he was in it. Of course, there was the possibility that Ran simply hadn't told either Kazuha _or_ Hattori, which wouldn't be too surprising with how stressed she must have been.

So, when he got a phone call on his 'Conan' phone from Hattori's number, his immediate reaction was to grimace and answer, assuming (correctly) that the Osakan had finally heard. In all honesty, though, home care was not 'well', and Kaito had decreed (with physician and Haibara backing) that neither of them was going to school for at _least_ another week.

He still had a little trouble breathing after the stairs, or walking more than half a block. Then again, stab wound to the chest, and with his sometimes-flighty immune system… well, it was no surprise that recovery was slow.

"Hey," he greeted, trying to keep his breathing even. Because of _course_ Hattori would call right as he got to the top of the stairs.

" _…_ _Kudo? Ya sound… are ya all right?_ "

Shinichi huffed, "Ran finally said something, then? I'm a little surprised you didn't find out earlier…"

" _Tha' wasn't a' answer, Kudo._ "

"I'm getting there. It's been slow, but… Haibara thinks that the Apoptoxin will actually be an advantage in the long run, in this case. For some reason, it has scarring pretty minimal, and that means I'm not as likely to have long-term complications."

" _Wha… happened? Nee-chan said you got stabbed and that ya were livin' with Kuroba now, but…_ "

"Didn't elaborate? Yeah, well, I didn't really want to talk about it, either. The injury—wasn't the bad part, really. I mean, I probably should have died, because he hit me in the chest, and I _was_ in a coma for almost a week, but… really, I was just so _tired_ of… It's ironic, but the injury was… the way things went around it, it was as good an excuse as any to get out of the Agency. It's easier, here.

"Kaito knows, after all. I don't have to pretend all the time."

" _Not the bad part, huh? Ya gonna tell me abou' that one?_ " Hattori sounded like he was trying not to demand something more.

"Maybe someday," Shinichi rubbed his face, "Not now, though. I'm still sorting it out, myself."

A breath, " _Okay, Kudo. Okay. But… Yer okay? Gonna be, anyway?_ "

"Yeah," Shinichi glanced around the room Kaito had set up for him as he climbed onto the bed. "Yeah, I really think I am."

" _Hey, d'ya mind if I head your way?_ "

Shinichi blinked, "You're _asking?_ "

" _Ah, well, I wanna see yer okay f'r myself, but if it might set yer recovery back…_ "

Okay. That was… a point. "If it were anyone else asking, I'd probably say it was fine," Shinichi admitted, "but our combined luck seems to be worse than my usual, and I'm… not sure I'm up to dealing with that right now. Ask Kaito to let you know when it's okay. He's collaborating with the doctors _and_ Haibara."

Hattori snorted, less tense at the long-suffering tone Shinichi had taken. " _Righ'. I'll do tha'. Hey, Kudo? Get some rest. Ya sound… tired._ "

"I _am_ tired," Shinichi failed to muffle a yawn, "I was heading towards a nap when you called, actually. Really, though. I'll be fine. You don't need to worry right now."

" _Oh, the 'right now' is convincing, Kudo._ Real _convincing._ "

"Shut up. I have luck. A lot of it is really morbid. The rest is just _weird._ "

" _Believe me, I_ noticed _. Text me Kuroba's number, will ya? I want to double check with yer minder._ "

"You suck, Hattori," Shinichi informed before promptly hanging up.

He texted the number, anyway.

(No matter how much he griped about the Osakan, he wouldn't trade that friendship for the world.)

 _xxxx_

 _Because Hattori may be brash, rash, and ridiculously prone to surprise visits, but he truly_ cares _about people, and most especially those he considers friends. Somehow, Shinichi seems to have made it to the top of that list, right alongside Kazuha, despite their relatively short and intermittent acquaintance._

 _I have this belief that Hattori, if he only found out about something after the_ immediate _danger had passed, would be the type of concerned to look out for the other's wellbeing, even if he himself wanted to do something different. In this case,_ not _visit immediately despite wanting to, because he's a good enough detective to notice that Shinichi's luck manages to combine with his own for 'worse than usual', and also aware of the fact that stress would_ not _be good for a healing child-body after damage of the magnitude I had laid out in No Ghosts._

 _Also, if the timeline wasn't completely clear, this is just after the chapter 'Home' but a week or five before the chapter 'Status Quo'._


	11. Reversed Caregiver

.

 ** _A Day in the Life  
_** _Of a Makeshift Mom_

 ** _Reversed Caregiver_**

"You," Shinichi growled, ignoring the fact that he sounded a lot less threatening than he wanted to (thanks to tiny vocal chords) as he aimed his watch at a certain white-clad teen, "are the worst patient _ever._ Take one more step towards that door and I'm hitting you with the _new_ tranqs."

"But Tantei-kun…" Kid pouted, taking another step.

Kudo Shinichi did not make threats that he didn't fully intend to follow through on, and being less than a meter tall and living under an alias hadn't changed that. A swift click-hiss and Kid dropped, asleep before he hit the floor.

Shinichi sighed and pulled out his phone, swapping back into Conan-as-seen-by-Kid's-Assistant mode. "Hey, Jii-san? Could you come over and help me get this idiot in bed? He's 39° and wandering around in… uh, inappropriately dressed."

If Hakuba came over, it would be a nightmare—and if Nakamori Aoko did, it would be even _worse._ "Damn it, Kaito, you're a _moron_ when you're sick."

 _xxxx_

Several days later, Kaito found himself kitten-weak and staring up at the ceiling of his room. He ached all over and felt sticky and gross, like he'd stuck himself to the sheets with sweat. He half-sat, propping himself up with his elbows and finding a very suspicious set of blue eyes peering at him.

"…Do I _want_ to know what I did to earn that look?" Kaito asked, more than a little cautious.

"Let's just say that keeping you inside the house and out of white took several applications of a somewhat nonstandard timepiece, and leave it at that," Shinichi told him, hopping off the chair to grab a glass of water and offer it to Kaito with his tiny Conan-hands.

No, Kaito thought to himself, accepting the water. He really _didn't_ want to know.

 _xxxx_


	12. Soccer

_This. Has been wallowing, half-finished, for a long while. So, here - have a present, if a very short one._

 ** _A Day in the Life_**  
 _Of a Very Odd High School Guest_

 ** _Soccer_**

"Hey, Kuroba-kun! We're one player short today since Jiro's got the flu; you think you could step in?"

Kaito blinked at the person who had just jogged up to question him, then down at Conan.

"Uh…"

"Please? We _can_ practice with unbalanced teams, but that gets messy sometimes. I know you don't play, but you're not bad in P.E…"

Kaito was not enthused. His too-small ward, on the other hand… "You know what, Takashi-kun? Ask Conan. He wipes the field with me."

The head of the soccer team blinked and glanced down in surprise only to get a full-on blast of Conan's most innocently pleading look. Kaito could _see_ him thinking it over—worry, reluctance, consideration; Conan's size was something that would be concerning amongst high school students on a sports' field, were it anyone but _Conan._ But he looked like your standard grade-schooler and most of those would wear out _fast_ trying to keep up with so much longer teen-legs.

"Okay, kid, you can join. You'll be on my team, but be a bit careful, okay? If someone runs into you it'll really hurt."

"I'll be careful," Conan promised, eyes sparking.

Oh, Kaito's school's soccer team was about to get _schooled_ in a whole new way. Kaito had watched them practice and play both, and Conan was going to _destroy_ them. Decimate his opponents and completely shatter his side's teen pride.

It was going to be _epic._

(Kaito was not going anywhere _near_ that field. There were a few handy trees near enough to watch from that would give him at least some cover and more dodging routes, and he _knew_ he wasn't being targeted but being in a clear line-of-sight to a Conan with a soccer ball just grated at his instincts. He couldn't do it.)

"Good luck," he said as Conan cheerfully trotted to Takashi's side.

Takashi didn't realize the sentiment was for him.

(Poor, _poor_ school soccer star. He'd figure it out when Conan sports-massacred them all.)

 _xxxx_


End file.
